Retail Sales Fell 0.1% in December,
Beating Forecasts by Economists

Retail sales fell just a touch in December, suggesting that consumer spending held up better through the holiday shopping season than many economists had predicted.

The Commerce Department said consumer spending on retail and food services fell a scant 0.1% in December from November, to $295.1 billion. Economists had forecast a 1.4% drop, largely because they anticipated a falloff in auto sales after a surge that had been propelled by...